


A Guide on How to Write Stand By Me Fanfiction

by Izout



Category: Stand By Me (1986)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-11
Updated: 2013-02-11
Packaged: 2017-11-29 00:01:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/680367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Izout/pseuds/Izout
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All you need to know when creating a story about our favorite group of boys.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Guide on How to Write Stand By Me Fanfiction

A Guide on How to Write Stand By Me Fanfiction

Summary: All you need to know when creating a story about our favorite group of boys.

Disclaimer: Not mines, don't sue.

A/N: So three weeks ago, after seeing bits and pieces of it on TV, I decided to watch Stand By Me for the first time I really enjoyed the movie. Enjoyed it so much that I was curious to see if any fic of it exists and if so, what was it like. Found some and... to my surprise a majority of it is either Gordie/Chris slash or Chris/Mary Sue. So I thought to myself, let's make fun of it. =D

I seek not to offend, only to amuse myself.

* * *

 

Knock, Knock, Knock

"That's not the secret knock!" shouted 12 year old Gordie Lachance as he was sitting in his spot in the tree house, reading a detective comic book while his other friends, Chris Chambers and Teddy Duchance, were playing cards.

"Full house." Teddy said as he revealed his cards and put them on the table before taking another inhale of his cigarette.

"Straight flush." Chris told the other boy as he put his cards on the table. Teddy just glared at Chris before slapping the cards off the table.

"To hell with you Chambers!" Teddy growled as Chris snickered. The heard the knock again, but this time a voice was accompanying it.

"Guys, I forgot the secret knock again, let me in!" The boys instantly recognized who that was.

"Vern!" All three said in unison before Gordie got to unlatch the hook on the door to let Vern Tessio in.

"You guys! You guys! You won't believe the thing I just found!" Vern shouted excitedly as he scuffled into the tree house and took a seat, a book under his arm.

"You finally found your jar of pennies?" Gordie asked him as he flipped through another page of his comic.

"No, you guys, not yet. I've still been looking for them though. I've even been using my grandma's old ladle to dig better, though all I've gotten is couple of rocks. Pretty rocks though, though one of them cut my pant leg and I know my mom is going to be mad at me if you saw it. Though not as mad as the time she saw Billy—" Before Vern could finish his story, he was cut off.

"Veeeern!" Gordie, Chris, and Teddy shouted in unison again to snap him out of it.

"Oh, yeah, anyway as I was getting from under my porch, I saw something lying on there. When I got up to take a closer look, it was a book. A book you guys, sincerely." Vern told them as he pulled the book from under his arm and showed it to them.

"Yeah, so wh-?" before Teddy could even finished, he took a closer look at the book. It was a leather bound book with a green cover with black letter that read, "A GUIDE ON HOW TO WRITE STAND BY ME FANFICTION. All you need to know when creating a story about our favorite group of boys."

"What's….. this?" Gordie asked no one in particular as he just stared as the book. Chris just turned his head and arched his eyebrow. Teddy just scanned the book up and down. And Vern just shrugged.

"So," said Chris after an uncomfortable pause, "We going to open it?" Looking at each other, the boys shrugged, and open the book to see what it contained.

* * *

 

It is natural that once a book, TV show, or movie starts to become popular, fanfiction of it will be written about it in a matter of minutes by the fandom. But many people out there are not aware on the Do's and Don'ts's on what to write. In response to that, this short little guide was created to help those unsure on how to the stories of four little boys that go on an incredible journey.

**Stand By Me in a nutshell**

Stand By Me is a 1986 movie directed by Rob Reiner, based on the Stephen King novella The Body. It stars Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, and Jerry O'Connell.

The year is 1959, taking place in Castle Rock, Oregon, four boys are about to go on a journey when one of them, Vern, overhears his brother and his friend talk about locating the body of a missing student by the name of Ray Brower while he was looking for his jar of pennies.

The boys go on a trek through the wilderness of Oregon. Cussing, smoking, and doing other activities that many young children would do at the time.

Over the course of their journey, the lives of the boys are exposed and it is revealed that all of them are hurting on the inside due to their family members, reputations, and other trials they are going through in their lives.

But as luck would have it, the boys weren't the only ones looking for Ray Bower's remains as they also run into the Cobras, led by Ace Merill, a gang that terrorizes and torments the boys. After an act of bravery, neither gangs take credit for the body, and they both go home, their lives changed forever.

* * *

 

"Wow, that's creepy." Chris said as they had just finished reading the first few paragraphs. "How they did know? I never told anyone." Chris asked the others as they all looked at each other.

"'Fanfiction written by the fandom'? What the fuck is a 'Fandom'?" Teddy also asked everyone.

"And who's Rob Reiner, Stephen King, Wil Wheaton, and those other guys?" Vern was also curious.

"I-I don't know. Maybe we should continue reading to find out?" Gordie suggested as they all resumed reading.

* * *

 

**Step One - Choosing a Genre**

Now, now, readers. Lets not be hasty. There is no point ploughing on ahead to select your plot until you have chosen your genre of choice.

 **Romance** – A favorite among many. There are some pairings you expect (Gordie/Chris), some pairings you rather like (Chris/OC), and pairings many people experiment with, but none that quite stick (Teddy/Vern, Ace/Eyeball, Ace/Denny, Gordie/OC, Teddy/OC, and Vern/OC). So many aspire to write it and so few succeed.

 **Drama** – It's tough living inside a small town. Tales of not living up to your parents' expectation, love triangles, fighting to break your reputation, not fulfilling your dreams, and even making the ultimate choice.

 **Adventure** – Come on now, who's to say finding Ray Brower was the only adventure the boys went on? Who's to say they haven't gone on their own road trips, or had other run-ins with the Cobras? Very few ever actually write this since fic writers are young women who are in it more for the fluffy romances and drama. Better to combine with another genre if you want others to check it out.

 **Angst** – As fun as the adventures of the boys' childhoods were, there's no denying the future of the boys (friends drifting apart, marrying young, not being able to join the army, and death). If you want to gather a nice little armful of reviews, either make your ending bittersweet enough to crack a smile or so damn tragic that the readers' eyes will be flooded in tears for the next ten minutes. Remember: The aim is to make an impression.

**Step Two – Choosing a Plot**

We say _choosing_ because technically no imagination is required at all. Below is a list compiled of a number of successful/favored plots that have proven themselves time and time again. (The majority work for all pairings.)

Mary Sue

Yes, the ever so reviled Mary Sue. Sometimes she's a relative of one of the guys: Gordie's cousin, Chris' and Eyeballs' sister, Vern's cousin, Teddy's cousin, Ace's little sister, Chris' and Eyeball's cousin, Vern's and Billy's sister, etc. Sometimes, she's The New Girl. Other times, she was someone who was there the entire time, but we just didn't see her for this or that reason. But in the end, they all share the same things: They all come from a non-descript background, they will have pretty eyes, they will have nice hair, they will have a great figure, and they will help out our heroes before falling madly in love in one or the other. Mary Sue plots can be split into four categories:

New Girl Moves to Town

A timeless classic for one and all. Sometimes, she's a childhood friend of one of the boys who moved away and is now moving back. Sometimes, she a new girl who's moved around a lot and is now is making a permanent stay in Castle Rock due to their parent's job requirement. Other times, she's a cousin of one of the boys who staying _only_ for the summer (So there can be a heartbreaking scene at the end where she has to leave). But no what which way you look at it, they are all the same story at their core: She comes to Castle Rock, wanders around town, and runs into either Chris Chambers or Ace Merill, where they will develop a friendship that will inevitably lead to them falling in love. Usually Chris attracts the most Sues, with Ace second, though Gordie, Eyeballs, and Teddy have their fair share of Sues. Vern gets the least.

Female Member of the Gang Goes Along With The Boys on Their Trip

As many know, Stand By Me was a great movie, but there are those who thought it was missing something; that there was something lacking. And that were the Lightbulb flashes. What if… hear me out… what if… there was a girl in the gang that went along with the boys too to find Ray Brower's body? Usually these fics are basically retelling of the movie, but with a girl thrown in into the mix. The author will try their best to deviate from the movie a little by changing a few lines, or adding a romance, but for the most part if you wanted to see the movie again, just rewatch the movie.

There is also fics that flip the coin on the other side by adding a female member to the Cobras. These fics usually tend to be a bit more original, but will inevitably include a romantic sub-plot among the Cobras men.

Girl Gets Sucked Into The Movie

Doesn't really matter how it's done. Maybe she was watching the movie and an electrical storm happen that sucked her into the TV. Maybe she hit her head on something and starts hallucinating. Heck, she could have just slipped on banana peel and landed on top of the DVD and somehow got magically sucked into the movie. But whatever way you come up with, she will be transported into the setting and hang out with the boys.

Girl Travels Back in Time to the 1950s

See above.

Gordie/Chris Slash

Slash. Yaoi. Shonen-Ai. Boys Love. No what title you give it, it means the same thing: Homosexual relationships between two men and as fans of will say it, Stand By Me was filled to the brim with homoerotic subtext between best friends Gordie Lachance and Chris Chambers if you know where to look.

* * *

 

"HAHAHAHAHAH! BUWHAHAHAHA!" Teddy laughed like a mad man after reading the newest heading and description. He was rolling on the floor holding his sides.

"Hey man, you better quit it!" Chris shouted as he glared at his friends as he was laughing himself into a seizure.

"HAHAHA! I also knew you two were fags. I... just ne… never knew… other pe.. people knew it! HAHAHAHAHA!" Teddy breathed out between giggles before bursting into laughter again.

"Does the word 'Retarded' mean anything to you?" Gordie asked him sarcastically as he, too, glared at Teddy.

Vern, wanting to make this stop too, got an idea as he poked his finger into Teddy's bellybutton, causing the other boy to flinch. Now that he had got him, Vern smiled as raise his fist, but Teddy beat him to the punch, so to speak. Vern just had a look on his face that said 'Why?' when Teddy answered.

"Two for flinching." Teddy answered him with a hint of smugness in his voice.

* * *

 

Gordie/Chris slash tends to come in different varieties:

 **Gordie and Chris: WAFF-yness at its finest** – These are stories that will make smile, warm your souls, curl your toes, and make you want to find someone to snuggle it. Then after a while you can't stand the sappiness and sugariness of it anymore and then you desire to read something more manly to get those girly thoughts out of your head. When done right, they can be enjoyed, thought a bit of a require taste. When done wrong, avoid like the plague.

 **Gordie and Chris: The angst of unrequited love** – It's sad really. Gordie is deeply and madly in love with Chris, but is afraid of showing it to him out of fear he will hate his guts and stop talking to him. Plus, back then, people weren't so accepting of homosexuality. Sometimes it even worse as Chris might be crushing on or dating a girl (See Mary Sue). You feel for Gordie and hope Chris will open his eyes and see who's been in front of him the entire time. Sometimes the shoe is on the other foot, and it's Chris who is deeply and madly in love with Gordie and is waiting for him to realize who's been in front of him the entire time.

 **Gordie and Chris: The tragic romance** – It's sad really. Well, no, not really, there are some hope spots and sappy romantic bits. They get together in the end. But then you remember Chris dies at the end.

After Chris

Taking place years after the movie. Chris is unfortunately killed when he steps into a restaurant to break up a fight. Gordie, Teddy, and Vern reunite at Chris' funeral for much angst and tortured soulfulness. You can either opt for slash with a nice, tear inducing ending or one of those mature friendship fics that do lots of reminiscing about their dead friend and their childhood adventures.

**Step Three – Getting to Know the Characters and Their Personalities**

**Gordie Lachance** : Gordie is the main character and POV (Point of View) character of the movie. He has a wholesome look to him with his stripped shirt, blue jeans, and hair either combed and parted a bit, or hanging from his forehead. Gordie had an older brother named Denny who he had a close relationship with and was unfortunately killed in an automobile accident. Since then, his parents have been emotionally distant from him, to the point where he thinks his father thinks it should have been _him_ that died and not Denny. His best friend is Chris Chambers who he has a closed relationship with (though how close you think depends entirely on you). Among the boys, he pretty soft spoken, but don't take that the wrong way, he cuss and smokes just as much as the others.

In fic, Gordie's personality tends to be split in two depending if you are reading Het or Slash. If it's Het (Heterosexual), Gordie's personality will be closed to how he was portrayed in the movie, though if a bit of added shyness. If it's Slash, Gordie will be made to be more and more emotional to the point where you would think the author confused him for a girl (no offense to our female readers out there).

 **Chris Chambers** : Chris is Gordie's best friend who he has a closed relationship with (though how close you think depends entirely on you). Being from the Chambers family, everybody in town pretty much prejudges Chris and assumes that he will end up a lowlife good for nothing just like his father and brother. Just like Gordie, Chris too has an older brother named Eyeball (He also has another older brother name Frank and four other siblings, but nobody ever really touches on them, so we'll just ignore them). But, whereas Gordie's relationship with his brother was loving, Chris' relationship with Eyeball is difficult to say the least.

Eyeball in the best friend and right hand man of Ace, the leader of the Cobras, a gang who picks on Chris and his friends. Eyeball often tends to just standby as Ace picks on his brother without doing anything to stop, though if one watches closely when Ace pulls out a knife on Chris, you could see some concern on Eyeball's face. These two have an interesting relationship that could be fun to explore, but unfortunately very few do.

Among the boys, Chris is the leader and the voice of reason among the boys. He brave, caring, sensitive, and is always willing to stand up for his friends.

In fic, Chris' personality tends to vary too depending on whether it's slash or het. Slash-Chris will be closed to how he's portrayed in the movie. Het-Chris, on the other hand, is compassionate, brave, loyal and fun to be around. You read about him and think "Dammit! Why does he have to be fictional?" One thing you can count on is he will be Gordie's/Your Sue's devoted lover.

 **Teddy Duchamp** : Teddy Duchamp is another member of the boys and can be called "flamboyant". He unpredictable, funny, and can be a little out of touch with reality. Teddy appears to be an only child, and his father once nearly burned his ear off. Yet, despite that, he still has a lot of love and respect for his father.

In fic, Teddy doesn't get featured as much, but when he does, his personality is pretty closed to how he was portrayed in the movie. Fics that feature Teddy will be either with him and a Mary Sue, him trying and falling to join the army, or him trying to commit suicide because he couldn't get into the army.

 **Vern Tessio** : Vern is the last member of the boys and can be seen as the punching bag of the boys (especially Teddy). Like Gordie and Chris, Vern too has an older brother named Billy who, like Chris, is also a member of the Cobras. But, other than that, Vern probably the closest of the boys to having a normal household life. Vern's personality can be described as timid and a bit of a motor mouth. Vern tends to appear the least in fics, but when he does; his personality is closed to how he's portrayed in the movie.

**Step Four – Important Reminders**

If you are going to write Stand By Me fanfiction, it is important that you remember these details:

\- Gordie's eyes must always be described as Doe-like.

\- Chris' eyes must always be mention as blue or similar to the ocean.

\- The only clothes the boys can wear are the exact same clothes they wore in the movie. Yes, let's just pretend that Chris' closet is filled with nothing but white T-shirts and blue jeans.

\- Every female character, regardless of age, must comment on how "Cute", "Hot", "Attractive", or "Good looking" River Ph-er I mean, Chris Chambers is.

\- Every male character, usually Eyeballs, Ace, or Teddy, must comment on how Gordie and Chris are "Gay", "Boyfriends", "Fags", "Lovers", or "Homos".

Thank you for reading and good luck on your future Stand By Me fics!

* * *

 

"That was… interesting." Chris said as he closed the book. Gordie and Vern just vaguely nodded. Meanwhile, Teddy was steaming like a cooked vegetable.

"Suicidal? These idiots think I'm suicidal?!" Shouted Teddy angrily. Then he shot a glare at Chris. "And why the hell do you get all the girls? What's so special about you?"

"Who even wrote this book?" Gordie asked himself as he examined it, looking to see who the author was.

"Maybe Ace wrote it?" Vern threw out. Chris is just shook his head.

"Naw, I can't see that asshole spending so much time working on this." Chris replied as he took the book from Gordie.

"And why did the book keep saying this is a movie? This is real life. R-Right?" Gordie asked somewhat nervously as he looked around.

"What if it's from the future?" Chris said out loud. "Like, Gordo, maybe in the future, you write a book about us and they make into a movie?"

"But if it's from the future, does that means what happens to us is going to happen?" Vern asked ominously. "Like, us drifting apart? And Teddy and the army?"

"Yeah, Chris, it says you're going to be killed." Teddy said as he looked uncomfortably at Chris.

There was an awkward pause.

Then Gordie started laughing. Everybody just stared at him as he just laid there laughing.

"Okay guys, you got me, that was a great prank." Gordie said between laughs as everybody just stared at him in confusion.

"Prank?" Teddy asked curiously. Then he looked at Chris and Vern, who both shook their heads, confirming neither had performed at joke.

Then Chris started laughing, making both Teddy and Vern more confused.

"Yeah man, we got you." Then he looked over at Teddy and Vern, with a face that said, "Play along". Then the two also started laughing. Awkwardly.


End file.
